KEYWORDS: Application service provider (ASP): A business that provides computer-based services to customers over a network. Software offered using an ASP model is sometimes called on-demand software or software as a service (SaaS). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Application_service_provider[Note: ASP is also an acronym for Active Server Pages, a server-side scripting language created by Microsoft. In this class, by ASP we will mean an application service provider.]
Business strategy: A company's overall course of action or method for winning and keeping customers while remaining profitable. Companies can develop their strategy by identifying an appropriate, attractive competitive space; establishing how they will differentiate themselves and their products from competitors in that space; develop an overall business concept and barriers to competitive entry; create an appropriate strategic brand; and clarify and set their strategic objectives, unique to their situation and context. http://benmbartlett.com/free-articles/what-is-business-strategy/
Competitive advantage: Occurs when a company or organization acquires or develops some attribute(s) that allow it to outperform, often substantially, its competitors. Atttributes may include access to natural resources (e.g. power sources) or human resources (e.g. skilled technologists). Technology can also provide competitive advantage, be it as part of the product itself, as an advantage in making the product, or as an aid to competing better (e.g. having better understanding of customers and how to reach them). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Competitive_advantage
Venture capital: Financial capital provided to startup companies in heir early stages, generally those with high potential but also high risk. A venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which generally have good potential for establishing competitive advantage through a novel technology or business model. The venture capital fund also usually gets significant control over the company's decisions and a stake in the ownership and eventual value of the firm. Venture capital investments generally occur after seed funding. Venture capital is attractive for new companies with a limited operating history that are too small to raise capital in the public markets or to secure a bank loan. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venture_capital
Return on investment (ROI): An investment in some resource should yield a benefit to the investor. As a performance measure, ROI can be used to evaluate the efficiency of an investment or to compare different investments against each other. ROI is measured as a rate over a period of time, by calculating the net profit (subtract the cost of the investment from the gain realized from it) and dividing it by the cost of the investment. E.g. if I invest $500 in company A, and twelve months later have earned $600 as a result, the ROI for the year is (600-500)/500 = 1/5 or 20%. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Return_on_investment
Public company: Also sometimes termed a publicly traded company or publicly held company, a public company is a limited liability company (LLC) that offers securities for sale to the general public. These securities are offered as stocks, shares, bonds, and/or loans through a stock exchange or similar market. Public companies can be either unlisted or listed on a stock exchange, depending on their size and local legislation. Publicly traded companies can raise funds and capital through the sale of their securities, and thus often can obtain large amounts of capital for private enterprise. Examples include General Motors, IBM, Apple, and Comcast. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_company
Private company: A company owned by a relatively small number of shareholders or company members, which does not offer or trade stocks, shares, bonds, and/or loans to the general public. The stock is instead offered, owned, traded, and/or exchanged privately. Privately held companies do not have to disclose financial information or comply with as many government-enforced accounting regulations as public companies. The money and income of the owners of private companies remains relatively unknown by the public. Examples include SC Johnson, Publix, Mars, and IKEA. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_companyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_company
KickStarter: A private, for-profit company that provides tools to raise funds for creative projects via crowdfunding, through its Web site. It has funded films, music, stage shows, comics, journalism, video games, and other endeavors. Investments in Kickstarter projects do not make investors money; instead, they receive a tangible reward or a unique experience, such as a personal thank-you note, t-shirt, attendance at an exclusive event, or early access to a new product. Kickstarter advertises itself as a platform; all projects are independently posted on the site, as long as guidelines are met. http://www.kickstarter.com/hello?ref=footerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kickstarter
Solid state drive (SSD): A data storage device that uses integrated circuits as memory to store data persistently. SSDs use technology and interfaces compatible with traditional hard disk drives, but have no moving mechanical components. They are less susceptible to physical shock, quieter, and quicker, but are still substantially more expensive per unit of storage than traditional hard drives. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid_state_drive
Optical disk drive: A disk drive that uses laser light or electromagnetic waves within or near the visible light spectrum to read data from and write data to optical discs. Some drives can only read from the discs; others, often called burners, can write to discs as well (and are now commonplace). Types of optical disk drive include CD-ROM/RW drives (which read and/or write compact discs, or CDs), DVD-ROM/RW drives (which read and/or write DVDs), and Blu-ray drives (which read and/or write Blu-ray discs). Optical discs can store relatively large quantities of data, including music and videos, hence their use by the entertainment industry; however, they are less suited for the purposes of backing up large hard disk drives. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_disc_drive
Floppy disk drive (FDD): A disk drive that can read and write to floppy disks. Various sizes have existed -- including 8 inch, 5 1/4 inch, and 3 1/2 inch -- but floppy disks have been superseded by hard drives, rewriteable CDs and DVDs, USB thumb drives, and the use of networking hardware. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floppy_disk
Data fragmentation: Occurs when a piece of data in memory or on a drive is broken up into many pieces that are not close together (or far apart). It is typically the result of attempting to insert a large object into storage that has already suffered external fragmentation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fragmentation_(computing)
Thermal grease: A fluid substance, originally with properties akin to grease, which increases the thermal conductivity of a thermal interface by compensating for the irregular surfaces of the components. Thermal grease is used between a chip (e.g. a CPU) and its heat sink. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_grease
Heat sink: An environment or object that absorbs and dissipates heat into the air from another object. In computers, heat sinks are used to cool CPUs or graphics processors. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_sink
Motherboard: The central printed circuit board (PCB) found in complex electronic systems, such as modern personal computers. It holds many of the crucial electronic components of the system, including the CPU and RAM, and provides connectors for other peripherals. The motherboard is sometimes alternatively known as the mainboard, system board, or logic board. __http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motherboard__
July 17, 2006 (Computerworld) –
•The most sought-after corporate IT workers in 2010 may be those with no deep-seated technical skills at all
•The nuts-and-bolts programming and easy-to-document support jobs will have all gone to third-party providers in the U.S. or abroad.
•Instead, IT departments will be populated with "versatilists” those with a technology background who also know the business sector inside and out, can architect and carry out IT plans that will add business value, and can cultivate relationships both inside and outside the company.
“Web 1.0” –Static, non-interactive, proprietary
KEYWORDS:
Application service provider (ASP): A business that provides computer-based services to customers over a network. Software offered using an ASP model is sometimes called on-demand software or software as a service (SaaS). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Application_service_provider [Note: ASP is also an acronym for Active Server Pages, a server-side scripting language created by Microsoft. In this class, by ASP we will mean an application service provider.]
Business strategy: A company's overall course of action or method for winning and keeping customers while remaining profitable. Companies can develop their strategy by identifying an appropriate, attractive competitive space; establishing how they will differentiate themselves and their products from competitors in that space; develop an overall business concept and barriers to competitive entry; create an appropriate strategic brand; and clarify and set their strategic objectives, unique to their situation and context. http://benmbartlett.com/free-articles/what-is-business-strategy/
Competitive advantage: Occurs when a company or organization acquires or develops some attribute(s) that allow it to outperform, often substantially, its competitors. Atttributes may include access to natural resources (e.g. power sources) or human resources (e.g. skilled technologists). Technology can also provide competitive advantage, be it as part of the product itself, as an advantage in making the product, or as an aid to competing better (e.g. having better understanding of customers and how to reach them). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Competitive_advantage
Venture capital: Financial capital provided to startup companies in heir early stages, generally those with high potential but also high risk. A venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which generally have good potential for establishing competitive advantage through a novel technology or business model. The venture capital fund also usually gets significant control over the company's decisions and a stake in the ownership and eventual value of the firm. Venture capital investments generally occur after seed funding. Venture capital is attractive for new companies with a limited operating history that are too small to raise capital in the public markets or to secure a bank loan. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venture_capital
Return on investment (ROI): An investment in some resource should yield a benefit to the investor. As a performance measure, ROI can be used to evaluate the efficiency of an investment or to compare different investments against each other. ROI is measured as a rate over a period of time, by calculating the net profit (subtract the cost of the investment from the gain realized from it) and dividing it by the cost of the investment. E.g. if I invest $500 in company A, and twelve months later have earned $600 as a result, the ROI for the year is (600-500)/500 = 1/5 or 20%. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Return_on_investment
Public company: Also sometimes termed a publicly traded company or publicly held company, a public company is a limited liability company (LLC) that offers securities for sale to the general public. These securities are offered as stocks, shares, bonds, and/or loans through a stock exchange or similar market. Public companies can be either unlisted or listed on a stock exchange, depending on their size and local legislation. Publicly traded companies can raise funds and capital through the sale of their securities, and thus often can obtain large amounts of capital for private enterprise. Examples include General Motors, IBM, Apple, and Comcast. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_company
Private company: A company owned by a relatively small number of shareholders or company members, which does not offer or trade stocks, shares, bonds, and/or loans to the general public. The stock is instead offered, owned, traded, and/or exchanged privately. Privately held companies do not have to disclose financial information or comply with as many government-enforced accounting regulations as public companies. The money and income of the owners of private companies remains relatively unknown by the public. Examples include SC Johnson, Publix, Mars, and IKEA. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_company http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_company
KickStarter: A private, for-profit company that provides tools to raise funds for creative projects via crowdfunding, through its Web site. It has funded films, music, stage shows, comics, journalism, video games, and other endeavors. Investments in Kickstarter projects do not make investors money; instead, they receive a tangible reward or a unique experience, such as a personal thank-you note, t-shirt, attendance at an exclusive event, or early access to a new product. Kickstarter advertises itself as a platform; all projects are independently posted on the site, as long as guidelines are met. http://www.kickstarter.com/hello?ref=footer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kickstarter
Computer Hardware
Hard disk drive (HDD) or Hard drive (HD): The primary computer storage device, which spins, reads and writes one or more fixed disk platters. http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/44088/hard-drive
Solid state drive (SSD): A data storage device that uses integrated circuits as memory to store data persistently. SSDs use technology and interfaces compatible with traditional hard disk drives, but have no moving mechanical components. They are less susceptible to physical shock, quieter, and quicker, but are still substantially more expensive per unit of storage than traditional hard drives. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid_state_drive
Optical disk drive: A disk drive that uses laser light or electromagnetic waves within or near the visible light spectrum to read data from and write data to optical discs. Some drives can only read from the discs; others, often called burners, can write to discs as well (and are now commonplace). Types of optical disk drive include CD-ROM/RW drives (which read and/or write compact discs, or CDs), DVD-ROM/RW drives (which read and/or write DVDs), and Blu-ray drives (which read and/or write Blu-ray discs). Optical discs can store relatively large quantities of data, including music and videos, hence their use by the entertainment industry; however, they are less suited for the purposes of backing up large hard disk drives. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_disc_drive
Floppy disk drive (FDD): A disk drive that can read and write to floppy disks. Various sizes have existed -- including 8 inch, 5 1/4 inch, and 3 1/2 inch -- but floppy disks have been superseded by hard drives, rewriteable CDs and DVDs, USB thumb drives, and the use of networking hardware. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floppy_disk
Fragmentation: Refers to the condition of a disk or of RAM in which files are divided into pieces scattered around the disk or broken up in memory. Fragmentation occurs naturally when you use a disk to frequently create, delete, and modify files. Utilities exist, both built-in to many operating systems and by third parties, to defragment disks and files, but are less necessary for some newer operating systems that use techniques to reduce fragmentation or automatically defragment in the background. http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/F/fragmentation.html http://lifehacker.com/5976424/what-is-defragging-and-do-i-need-to-do-it-to-my-computer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fragmentation_(computing)
Internal fragmentation: Occurs when you allocate storage in memory or on a drive without ever intending to use it. This space is wasted. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fragmentation_(computing)
External Fragmentation: Occurs when free storage on a drive becomes divided into many small pieces over time. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fragmentation_(computing)
Data fragmentation: Occurs when a piece of data in memory or on a drive is broken up into many pieces that are not close together (or far apart). It is typically the result of attempting to insert a large object into storage that has already suffered external fragmentation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fragmentation_(computing)
Thermal grease: A fluid substance, originally with properties akin to grease, which increases the thermal conductivity of a thermal interface by compensating for the irregular surfaces of the components. Thermal grease is used between a chip (e.g. a CPU) and its heat sink. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_grease
Heat sink: An environment or object that absorbs and dissipates heat into the air from another object. In computers, heat sinks are used to cool CPUs or graphics processors. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_sink
Cooling: Computer cooling is the process of removing heat from computer components. http://computer.wikia.com/wiki/CPU_cooling
Motherboard: The central printed circuit board (PCB) found in complex electronic systems, such as modern personal computers. It holds many of the crucial electronic components of the system, including the CPU and RAM, and provides connectors for other peripherals. The motherboard is sometimes alternatively known as the mainboard, system board, or logic board. __http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motherboard__
July 17, 2006 (Computerworld) –
•The most sought-after corporate IT workers in 2010 may be those with no deep-seated technical skills at all
•The nuts-and-bolts programming and easy-to-document support jobs will have all gone to third-party providers in the U.S. or abroad.
•Instead, IT departments will be populated with "versatilists” those with a technology background who also know the business sector inside and out, can architect and carry out IT plans that will add business value, and can cultivate relationships both inside and outside the company.
•People - Information - Technology
Week 3 powerpoint